Life Frames Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
133776512
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$333,537
Expenses
$338,387
Assets
$202,992
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • China Bushell (Executive Dir.): $46,514 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

LFI offers practical processes and imaginative solutions resulting in ecological land use planning, landscape architecture, participatory design with multiple, systemically linked, interactive, community and school programs, which also function as community and economic development for the area, resulting in transformation of the community.

What it reported doing in 2025

Executive Leadership & Organizational Turnaround Under the leadership of Executive Director China Bushell, Life Frames Inc. successfully completed the OMI/Excelsior Nature Walkwaya major infrastructure project that had been stalled for over three years. Within just six months, the ED and staff: oPartnered with Alrie Middlebrook, who redesigned the nature pathway with native and pollinator plants oOversaw full construction and planting of the walkway oSecured $450,000 in reimbursements within three months, stabilizing the nonprofits finances and allowing the projects completion. Youth Workforce & Education Impact Supported over 70 underserved youth ages 1524 in paid internships and stipended leadership positions across New York and San Francisco. Delivered green jobs training through hands-on work in garden maintenance, landscape design, and sustainability education. Partnered with OFA, MYEEP, SFYWs, and JCYC to provide wraparound services and equitable employment pathways. Community Engagement & Environmental Education Facilitated weekly youth gardening classes rooted in Indigenous ecological knowledge, especially from the Ohlone tradition. Continued Vegetable & Me classes for seniors on Roosevelt Island, emphasizing therapeutic horticulture, nutrition, and community building. Piloted a youth food initiative providing healthy snacks and meals to underserved SF students, addressing the gap left by citywide funding cuts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 12
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.3%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 90%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.5%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.6; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.7%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.3% of revenue deployed · 90% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 5 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $305K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $47K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.